# Michael Greenspan's Manager Readme

**Engineering Manager at Auvik**

# Motivation for this document

The purpose of this document is to give you insight into me as a human being. The better we know each other, the more effectively we can do meaningful and productive work together. Teams are formed by people, and each person is unique. The more you know about my unique personality and quirks, the more comfortable you will feel around me, and the better you'll be able to interpret my words and actions.  
  
Note that this is just a simple introductory document. I don't expect you to absorb and remember everything here. It in no way replaces the real relationship-building process that we will be going through together.  
  
Note also that this document is based largely on my own self-perception (although I do include some personality assessment results to try and paint a more objective picture). As such, I am sure some of it is inaccurate. It is a work-in-progress and will be updated as I learn more about myself, and what information other people find useful.  
  
In the interest of readability, I've tried to keep this doc shallow and succinct rather than deep and exhaustive. That means that for many topics, I only scratch the surface. Please reach out to me if you'd like more depth on any topic. I am happy to discuss anything!

# My role

As an Engineering Manager, I focus primarily on _Culture_, _Delivery_, and _Growth__._

A brief elaboration of each topic:

**Culture**

- Influence and cultivate _ **how** _ _ **we build** _ and the _ **values through which we make decisions** __. _

**Delivery**

- Ensure the team understands the expected outcomes we are driving towards, and has all necessary tools to get value shipped into customers' hands as soon as possible. This involves clearly articulating the vision we are after, providing the right resources to the team to execute, and identifying and removing obstacles.

**Growth**

- Coach and mentor the team, seeking out and providing ample opportunities for each individual to get to the next level as a professional and as a human being, and providing the necessary support and resources to thrive. **_It is important to note that my ability _**** _to help you grow will be proportionate to your desire to grow and your willingness to open up to me._** I can't want it more than you do.  
  

# Personal stuff

I show up to work as a human being first, and as a "manager" second. I respect boundaries, and so I don't expect people to open up to me if they don't feel comfortable, but I personally do tend to be an open book. Before I tell you more about my professional views, I want you to know a little bit about me. Here is a short list of some interesting facts:

- I live in Toronto, Canada (well, a suburb called [Thornhill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornhill,_Ontario) to be exact)
- I am married and at the time of this writing have five kids (ages 2, 5, 7, 9, 11). yes, you read that right!
- I live with my wife and children and mother in the same house I grew up in. I never moved. Feel free to ask me about that. :)
- I am Sabbath observant which means that Fridays at sundown [I go completely offline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shomer_Shabbat). (or as I like to say, "I turn into a werewolf"). Feel free to ask me about this also. :)
- I am a bit obsessed with playing guitar, and I chronically make really super funny dad jokes. I apologize in advance.

I will say it again: Please feel free to ask me about anything!

# The team values I try to cultivate

I came up with an acronym to help me remember the values I want each of us to work by on our team. Cheesy? Maybe! But hey, [cheese is popular in Canada](https://www.statista.com/topics/4202/cheese-market-in-canada/#dossierKeyfigures)!

Here it is: _ **GIVE** _

**G** - We are  **GROWING,** both professionally and personally, proactively seeking out our next challenges and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones

**I - ** We take **INITIATIVE** , seeking out and creating new opportunities, and not waiting to be told what to do

**V** - We are **VALUE-DRIVEN,** always focusing our efforts on producing customer value

**E** - We try to be  **EGOLESS** , and function as a team. Each individual brings their own unique strengths, and we are here to prop each other up and complement each other  
 

# My style and some basic expectations

## Safety

Creating and maintaining psychological safety amongst all team members is extremely important to me. Every person needs to feel comfortable being open (even with contrarian opinions) and should in no way ever feel bullied, belittled, or abused. You will never be harshly castigated by me publicly or even privately for mistakes, and I expect everyone on the team to be respectful to each other as well.

I start new relationships from a position of trust and do my best to _ **assume positive intent** _ when faced with what appears to be a negative interaction from someone. My best tool in these scenarios is _asking lots of clarifying questions_. This attitude has certainly saved me from countless unwarranted conflicts and helps kickstart the building of meaningful relationships. I would ask that you try to have the same attitude towards me and other team members.

## Disagreements

Disagreements can and in fact _should_ happen on my team. Without debate, we will never be able to arrive at the truth. I am a big believer in the [Pike Syndrome concept](https://jayacunzo.com/blog/pike-syndrome-better-choices), and yearn for fresh eyes and perspectives.

With that being said, disagreements are only productive when worked through in a manner that ensures psychological safety. This means no personal attacks or no belittling, and an active effort from all parties to understand and appreciate the other side. 

## Communication and transparency

I believe that respectful and proactive communication is the lifeblood of healthy relationships. I expect people on my team to proactively "push" pertinent and timely information to the team, and to be biased towards over-communicating.

Slack is my preferred means of async communication. I don't like to contact my team using more private and invasive communication methods like text messages or WhatsApp, but I may use them from time to time if something urgent (like an outage or very time-sensitive announcement) comes up during core hours and someone is not being responsive.

## Feedback

I am thirsty for feedback from my team members, but I understand that many people feel uncomfortable giving me feedback due to my formal position. I will often try to fish out your opinion by asking questions like "is there anything I should know that I don't?" or "Is there anything I should be doing or stop doing that I don't realize"? I hope that you feel comfortable answering honestly!

On the other side, I tend to only give feedback when I feel that I have received "[permission](https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2015/11/04/how-to-criticize-well/?sh=4b93e9e66476)" to give it. I will often just employ the question "Hey, can I give you some feedback?". If you are not ready at that moment, then please just say NO! I also encourage you to ASK ME directly for feedback.

## Work hours and availability

**_[Note that the following hours are from a previous role and may be different at Auvik. I will update this when I learn more about the Auvik standards]_**

I am typically online and available from 9:15 am to 6 pm EST. 

We are all responsible adults. Depending on your time zone, I expect you to be available for messaging and meetings between 10 am and 4 pm EST if you are in an EST region, and 9 am and 3 pm PST if you are in a PST region, but I know that life happens. Just be transparent and let the team know via slack if you are going to be away during those hours. Slack status is also helpful.

The typical workday is 8-9 hours including lunch, but in all honesty I am not checking your hours. I've observed that some people have very firm boundaries separating their work time and their personal time, and some have a more blended approach to structuring their days. I am more on the blended side of the spectrum, but I will adapt to your style as necessary.

I try my best to only message people during their typical work hours because I don't want people to feel obligated to respond. The exception to this is during system outages or other urgent customer matters, but those are extreme cases.

You can feel free to message me any time or any day. I will probably only respond during working hours though, unless it is a time sensitive matter.

## Process

It is my belief that team values will organically generate team norms and rituals that are far more valuable and impactful than prescriptive and rigid processes. Process exists to serve us, and not for us to serve it, so I am not a fan of rigid processes. Nevertheless, I will not stand in the way of a team that has decided that certain processes are needed. Different people require different levels of structure and have varying degrees of tolerance for ambiguity, and so different teams will adopt a different balance of process vs norms.  
  
The only two rituals that are constant on my teams are  **1:1s ** and recurring **retrospectives**  (regularly scheduled time to take a moment to pause and reflect as a team).

# 1:1s

I view my 1:1 time with my direct reports as sacrosanct. Especially in our brave new remote existence, this is a critical time where we can really get to know each other.  
  
 Some notes about 1:1s with me:

- Depending on the person and the size of my teams, I have recurring 30-60 minute 1:1s either weekly or bi-weekly.
- I typically stick to the scheduled timeslot, but I do sometimes reschedule individual 1:1s to a different day or timeslot if my schedule gets crazy that week.
- I create and use a shared written agenda. I will dump my thoughts in there and take live notes there, and also give you space to add your thoughts, but I don't expect you to use it if that is not your style. Coming and speaking off-the-cuff is also fine.
- I am informal with my 1:1 agenda. I view it as a place where we can get to know each other and discuss your development goals. I actually encourage  **you**  to take ownership over the agenda as much as possible! It’s your time.
- I split 1:1s into two sections
  - I usually open up asking “What is on your mind?” and let you steer the conversation. This is your chance to talk about anything you want... work, personal, stories, jokes, questions. I want to get to know you and I want you to feel comfortable opening up! I want this section to be at least half the meeting, unless you legitimately have nothing to say!
  - The rest of the meeting, if there is time, is where you let me ask any questions I have. I may also give you feedback in this portion. Sometimes, I may also want to push you to come up with a concrete step you will take before our next 1:1 which helps you achieve your goals.

- There is also a section in the agenda doc where you can highlight any recent "hits" and "misses". I refer to these as “checkins”. If you've filled in a hit or miss since our last 1:1, we can do an “inspection” and see what we can learn from them. This is a great way for you to help me to help you. I'll explain more about this at one of our first few 1:1 meetings.

- I can't stress enough how the 1:1 is YOUR TIME and you are in the driver's seat until you hand the steering wheel to me.

# **Personality**

Rather than describe my self-perception of myself, I instead encourage you to read my [StrengthsFinder report](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j7wepciJXGf5w_2YFnRyVsUCHJcGN4q_/view?usp=sharing). You will find some interesting unique facts about my personality.

Since it is a bit long, here is the _tldr_ of what I find to be the most interesting points:

- I believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has meaning
- I am very introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions
- I enjoy thinking about the past and extracting learnings from it
- I like the _process_ of learning, not just the outcome
- I often require time (hours or even days) to digest new information and form my opinions and make conclusions

# Some of my favourite quotes

> "People don't _care_ how much _you know until they know_ how much _you care."_  
> **Theodore Roosevelt **

> "Life is not a support system for art. It's the other way around."   
> **Stephen King**

> "No plan ever survived first contact with the battlefield."  
> **Helmut von Moltke**

> “You have learnt something. That always feels at first as if you have lost something.”  
> **George Bernard Shaw**

> Good timber does not grow with ease, The stronger wind, the stronger trees, The further sky, the greater length, The more the storm, the more the strength.   
> **Douglas Malloch**  (check out the full poem here: [https://www.familyfriendpoems....](https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/good-timber-by-douglas-malloch))

> I drew the duck blue because I've never seen a blue duck before, and to be honest with you, I wanted to see a blue duck.  
> **Billy Madison**

# Now What

Congrats, you made it this far! (Or maybe you just scrolled all the way down?) I hope that you know a little more about me and will feel a tad bit more comfortable talking with me.

**_This is a living document and I would love your feedback! Was this doc useful? Is something important missing? Please let me know. I may ask in a 1:1._**